Starting Over
by Katriona
Summary: Charmed-GH crossover. Newly single mothers Piper and Carly are both looking for an escape when, by chance, they move to the same small coastal Maine town. Will their friendship be enough to help them cope? And could they ever win their husbands back?


Starting Over  
  
Summary: Charmed/General Hospital crossover. Newly single mothers Piper and Carly are both looking for an escape when, by chance, they move to the same small coastal Maine town. Will their friendship be enough to help them cope? And could they ever win their respective husbands back?  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed or General Hospital. I just happen to be a fan of both shows with nothing better to do during class than write a fic featuring all my favourite characters.  
  
A/N: Please review. I update the fics that get the most attention.  
  
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Carly Corinthos shifted in her seat, careful not to disturb her six-week-old son, Morgan. Her other son, Michael, was sitting across from her, staring sullenly out the window. They were on a train, headed to their new home in a small coastal town in Maine.  
  
"Hey, Michael, when your little brother's big enough, are you going to teach him how to fish?" she asked, in effort to make conversation.  
  
He shook his head, his red hair falling into his eyes. "No. I hate fishing."  
  
Carly frowned. "Since when? You used to love it."  
  
"No," Michael said stubbornly. "I hate trains and I hate fishing and I hate stupid Maine!"  
  
Sighing, Carly put the baby down in his carrier and switched seats, putting her arms around Michael. "I know, sweetheart. I know this is hard for you, and it's not easy for me either, but we're gonna be okay. I promise."  
  
"But why?" her little boy asked. "Why did we have to leave Port Charles? Why couldn't we just stay there, with Daddy and Latisha and Aunt Courtney and Uncle Jason?"  
  
Carly took a deep breath. "It's complicated, honey. Daddy... needs some space right now, and we're giving it to him. What you have to remember is that he loves us, and that no matter how far we are from him, he's right here, in our hearts."  
  
Michael's frown subsided a little, but not much. "Is Daddy ever going to come bring us home?"  
  
"I don't know, baby," Carly said honestly. "I really don't know. But I do know that he wants to be happy while we're apart. Just try and give Maine a chance, okay? For Daddy?"  
  
He nodded. "Okay. But I hope Daddy comes for us soon. If he waits too long, then Morgan might forget who he is."  
  
Carly shook her head. "We won't let that happen. I'll tell you what, you can be in charge of making sure Morgan knows all about Daddy. You can show him pictures, and tell him everything, okay?"  
  
"Okay," Michael agreed, moving to the space his mother had just vacated in order to be closer to his baby brother. Carly sat back, watching them, and wishing that Sonny could see his two children now...  
  
-x-  
  
Piper Halliwell sat back, waiting for the plane to take off. Restlessly, she checked her one-year-old son, Wyatt's seatbelt, and then her own. She reached into the pocked of the seat in front of her, thumbing through the various magazines. She did anything she could think of to keep from looking out the window. Her reasoning was simple: she'd seen enough of San Fransisco in the past thirty years that she'd lived there. Now, the less she saw of it the better. Looking out the window might make her homesick. She couldn't let herself be homesick, at least not until it was too late to turn back. And so, she continued to preoccupy herself until takeoff.  
  
Finally, when the plane was in the air, Piper started to relax. "Look, Wyatt, look at the clouds," she said, pointing out to the same window she'd been so carefully avoiding only moments ago. Her son stared at her, unimpressed. Piper tousled his blonde hair affectionately, knowing that he'd seen a much more majestic sight "Up There", in the heavenly place where the Elders, the forces overseeing all good magic, lived and worked.  
  
The Elders. This got Piper thinking about her husband again. She'd promised herself she wouldn't think about Leo, or the fact that he'd left them to become an Elder. She knew he didn't have a choice. She hadn't been left with much of one, either. Being a single mother was hard enough, but balancing it with being a Charmed One, one of three of the most powerful witches in the world, well that was damn near impossible. She tried, she really tried, but it was too much. She needed to get away.  
  
Her sisters understood. They didn't, at first, but once they saw how badly this was tearing her apart, they supported her all the way. In return, she bound only Wyatt's powers, keeping hers. Binding her own powers would mean that her sisters would lose them, too, and she couldn't make that decision for them. She knew all too well what it was like to have people make her choices for her.  
  
Piper snapped out of her reverie when the captain's voice came over the loudspeaker, announcing that it was safe to unbuckle their safety belts, and that they'd be landing in Maine in about three hours. Piper unhooked her own seatbelt, wisely leaving Wyatt's on so he didn't go running around the plane. "Hear that, buddy? Three more hours until we're home." Wyatt made a face. Piper sighed, nodding. "I know, honey. It's not home to me yet, either. But it will be. Things are going to be different for a while, but it'll get better. I promise."  
  
Wyatt cooed, seeming to understand. Piper kissed him, then sat back, waiting to land in their new home, and trying desperately not to think about the one they were leaving behind... 


End file.
